Early reports suggest WSOP numbers are down heavily
While niche formats are thriving, it would appear that the World Series of Poker is not immune to an industry-wide contraction in field sizes.
The World Series of Poker is in full flow, but this year the festival looks poised to post much lower numbers than we have enjoyed in recent years.
The prediction market for the WSOP on Kalshi suggests we are heading for another Main Event with under 10,000 runners, after previously having enjoyed several years in a row with a five-figure field.
Now that we have a week's worth of records in the books, I decided to compare like-for-like events between 2025 and 2026 to see what changes to the fields we can expect this year. I didn't include new events for 2026, nor did I include the $25,000 Heads-up Championship because that is a capped field.
| Event | 2025 Field | 2026 Field | Percentage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500 No Limit Hold'em - Industry Employees No Limit Hold'em | 914 | 906 | -0.88% |
| $5,000 No Limit Hold'em - 8-Handed | 693 | 570 | -17.75% |
| $1,500 Limit Omaha 8 or Better 8-Handed | 910 | 828 | -9.01% |
| $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed | 757 | 716 | -5.42% |
| $1,500 Seven Card Stud | 377 | 359 | -4.77% |
| $1,500 Limit Badugi | 534 | 554 | +3.75% |
| $10,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship 8-Handed | 217 | 204 | -5.99% |
| $600 No Limit Hold'em - Deepstack | 6090 | 4622 | -24.10% |
| $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Single Draw Lowball 7-Handed | 532 | 626 | +17.67% |
Niche formats are doing well
The headline is that, in like-for-like events so far, there has been a 14.87% decrease.
We've actually seen increases for some of the more esoteric formats. Badugi saw a 3.75% increase, and Single Draw Lowball saw an almost 18% increase.
However, those are niche events where fans of the formats will not miss them, as often, it is the only time they are played all year in a high-stakes tournament format.
It's much more concerning for the no-limit hold'em events, where in like-for-like events we have seen a 18.29% decrease overall. This would suggest that the more casual player is not coming to Vegas anywhere near as much this year.
A wider industry contraction
Before this looks like a hit piece on the World Series of Poker, or poker in America following Donald Trump's punitive new gambling tax, this is a trend that has been quietly engulfing the entire industry of late.
It was first brought to my attention by my good friend, Chip Race host David Lappin, who has been identifying roughly a 17% contraction in the industry. Keep an eye on David if this interests you. He has been looking into it in much more depth than I have and will likely be writing about this in the future.
Just picking some marquee events at random which took place both this year and last at the same time. EPT Monte Carlo has seen a 15.22% decrease in the field this year compared to last. The WPT event at Seminole Hard Rock saw a 19.26% reduction compared to 2025. I personally looked into the GUKPT here in the UK which has seen roughly a 29% decrease in their Main Events year on year.
I am, of course, showcasing a small sample, but it seems that after years of reporting record-breaking fields post-Covid, it looks like we're finally seeing a correction.
